


Fears

by Fyerluna



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Comfort, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-11
Updated: 2014-01-11
Packaged: 2018-01-08 09:24:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1130938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fyerluna/pseuds/Fyerluna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Carlos tries to make sure his house is safe for Cecil to visit. Turns out that's easier said than done and Carlos learns a bit about his own fears in the process.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fears

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ani_bester](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ani_bester/gifts).



> I take Cecil to be more or less a human being with maybe some clairvoyance or other psychic ability, but no more strange than anyone else in Night Vale.

He’d made a list. It started with the mirrors and it was growing slowly. Cecil wouldn’t set foot in his house unless all the mirrors were covered. Carlos had forgotten one particularly reflective aluminum kettle on the stove the first time. He’d left Cecil at the table with dinner for a few minutes to check on one of the experiments in the lab downstairs and when he came back Cecil was on the kitchen floor with bruise marks around his throat as if some powerful hands had tried to choke the life out of him. Carlos held him until Cecil came around and asked why they were on the kitchen floor and if Carlos was okay. He sold his all clad aluminum cookware and bought ceramic and cast iron and a plastic kettle that plugged in on the counter.

He had to remove the clocks next. That hadn’t been for Cecil’s benefit exactly, it was for the two of them. Cecil complained that the clocks in Carlos’ house were always off and would try to set them to the right time, which was frustrating for both of them. Carlos knew he had the only true timepieces in Night Vale and had disassembled both Cecil’s watch and his clock to show him the difference. Cecil asked him why he kept a collection of gears inside his clock and was genuinely confused when Carlos tried to explain that it wasn’t a collection it was what made the clock keep time. Cecil laughed but stopped abruptly when he realized Carlos wasn’t making a joke. He put a hand on Carlos’ shoulder and impressed upon him that if that he was sure Carlos was a very smart man and if that’s what he really thought Cecil promised not to laugh at him for it.

The clock never worked properly again so Carlos emptied it out and set it on a shelf in the living room. Somehow it kept time. Carlos turned it to face the wall, but it would always be turned back if he left the room so he gave up and left it there. Cecil stopped trying to reset it at least and that meant Carlos could think about what to do about time slowing down at his leisure.

He had to keep his film and digital cameras in the lab. As far as he knew there was at least one picture of Cecil, but whenever he brought up taking a picture of the two of them together Cecil would pale. His eyes would dart around looking for something and he would stammer out a reason to be somewhere else, ranging from forgetting something at the radio station to having a league bowling game in the middle of the night and needing to go pick up old woman Josie out by the car lot. Even Carlos knew that they hadn’t bowled in at least a year or so.

He’d removed all the plastic bags. Cecil seemed to be under the impression that they would attack them given the chance. When asked why they frightened him Cecil shook his head and wrapped his arms around himself, rocking gently repeating the words plastic bags to himself. Carlos held him until Cecil asked him if he could loosen his grip a little and if Carlos was alright.

The lights had to be left on in every room, all the time. Cecil would freeze up in an unfamiliar room in the dark. He’d asked Cecil to get the grated cheese for the pasta they were having. When Carlos heard a clatter he opened the kitchen door to find it was dark. The bulb had burned out so he changed the bulb with a flashlight. He wouldn’t have noticed anything amiss except that he happened to glance at the large cupboard he kept the pots in to see them scattered on the floor. He opened the doors and found Cecil wedged in with his eyes squeezed shut and his hands over his ears. He flinched when Carlos touched him and fought Carlos’ attempts to get him out. It took hours to calm him down. Dinner went cold and was reheated as breakfast.

He’d developed a fear of blood and organs. Carlos wasn’t sure what had brought that on and it struck him as very odd that someone in Night Vale would be distressed by anything less than total carnage. He asked about it but then answers became increasingly unhelpful. Cecil first told him he’d gone somewhere awful. Later he’d said he’d had a nightmare. The last time Carlos had asked Cecil shivered and his voice quivered. He choked out something about blood in his shoes and Carlos held him until Cecil asked if something had happened and if Carlos was going to be alright.

Carlos was sure that Cecil would be terrified of yellow and certain shades of orange. Carlos could understand that and it was the only fear of Cecil’s that he understood. They were all terrified of yellow and certain shades of orange, particularly the shade found in the letter S set on a black background or the peel of an orange. Carlos got rid of the yellow and orange in his house before Cecil had come over and it took him half an hour to convince Cecil that he was the real Carlos and that this was the right house. Carlos made some excuse about redecorating and being bored with the old couch and that was enough for Cecil. Carlos kissed him gently and led him inside. There was a documentary he’d been meaning to watch, or maybe they’d go out for dinner… as long as it had nothing to do with particular shades of orange or yellow both of them would be fine.


End file.
